Prishtina, 5 March 2010
Today, Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi hosted a delegation from the Council of the European Union led by Mr. Jonas Jonsson, the head of the General Secretariat of the Council. The Deputy Prime Minister and Mr. Jonsson mainly discussed the Comprehensive Strategy for the North and the role of the European Union in implementing this strategy.
Deputy Prime Minister Kuçi said that this strategy aims at integrating the North, by taking all possible democratic measures to establish the rule of law in this part of Kosovo. The Deputy Prime Minister added that the European Union’s support, for the implementation of this strategy through EULEX, would be essential for building trust amongst all the people of Kosovo.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized, “The Comprehensive Strategy for the North is nothing more than a strategy on the democratization of Kosovo – strengthening the rule of law in every corner of the territory of Kosovo, including in the north of our country. Therefore, we need the European Union to influence Serbia to adopt a constructive approach towards Kosovo.”
For his part, Mr. Jonas Jonsson said that due to the lack of a consensus in Brussels, the European Union cannot have a clear stance on this strategy. The Deputy Prime Minister and Mr. Jonsson agreed that – apart from the fact that the EU cannot have a clear stance on the strategy – EULEX should strengthen its presence in the North and create an environment that facilitates normalization, through the reestablishment of the courts, the restoration of the customs points and the functioning of the police chain of command.
In commenting EULEX’s role, the Deputy Prime Minister stated, “Kosovo wants nothing more from EULEX than for it to accomplish its mission; therefore, the role of EULEX should not be seen from a different standpoint.”
The Deputy Prime Minister and the head of the General Secretariat of the Council also discussed visa liberalization for Kosovo. Deputy Prime Minister Kuçi called on the representatives of the Council of the EU to take concrete steps towards providing Kosovo with a visa liberalization roadmap. The Council delegation stressed that there will not be a lack of support from European representatives with regards to this important issue for the people of Kosovo.
During the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister and the EU representatives also discussed Kosovo’s participation in regional initiatives. The EU representatives welcomed the positive response from Prime Minister Thaçi to participate in the summit to be held in Slovenia and they assured Deputy Prime Minister Kuçi that everything possible will be done so that Kosovo is not blocked by Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in regional cooperation initiatives.
The European representatives mentioned that there can be no regional cooperation and integration into the European Union without the participation of Kosovo; therefore, towards this end, Serbia should play a constructive role and be more cooperative.
Deputy Prime Minister Kuçi thanked the European representatives for the support they are giving Kosovo and he called on Brussels to exert more pressure on Serbia so that Serbia realizes, once and for all, the new reality in this part of Europe and so that they can contribute to the promotion of peace, stability, good neighborliness and regional cooperation.
Last modified: July 31, 2022